Qiao Yan had instructed them before they left that this battle was about deterrence and killing, so they didn’t have to worry too much about the rules for capturing prisoners.

“Go! What are you doing, just go fast!” Han Xian said to Li Le, who was almost shocked by Yang Da’s death.

Zhao Yun could recognize him, but he hadn’t saw Li Le.

Not against Zhao Yun again!

Seeing the person who had nearly dealt him a fatal blow last time, Han Xian felt his legs almost give out right then and there.

Last time, due to the mountainous terrain, Zhao Yun couldn’t charge straight on horseback, but now he could.

Judging from Zhao Yun’s deadly spear thrust, it was clear he was more adept at mounted combat.

Without time to ponder how Zhao Yun seemed to have anticipated their movements and appeared here, the only option was to flee!

Han Xian was particularly grateful that he was still some distance from Zhao Yun, giving him a chance to escape.

Li Le, pulled along by him, immediately realized that survival was now more important than worrying about Yang Da’s life or death.

If the enemy had only infantry, he might have considered rallying his men and mounting a resistance, but with cavalry in pursuit, casualties from their attack were enough to scatter his forces rapidly.

If he didn’t leave now, he might not be able to later.

Both commanders reached a unanimous decision to flee, leaving their subordinates in a difficult position.

In battle, with one side fleeing and the other pursuing, the advantage of one side over the other would only increase, not to mention Zhao Yun and Zhang Yang’s mission to inflict severe casualties on these bandits.

When Han Xian and Li Le no longer heard the ominous sound of hoofbeats behind them, they finally confirmed they had escaped.

Looking back, they saw only a few scattered soldiers.

Fortunately, unknown to them, Zhao Yun had spared some of their men, allowing them to regroup later.

In this dire situation, Li Le whispered, “What do we do now?”

What to do?

Han Xian glanced at the pursuing soldiers and understood why Li Le asked such a question.

For any commander, successive defeats were extremely terrifying, especially since defeat meant their lives were at stake.

For these men, who had chosen to become thieves, it was a heavy blow to morale.

The soldiers following them were more out of necessity than loyalty to them.

If they couldn’t explain this failed raid and its casualties, Han Xian and Li Le might become sacrificial lambs to appease Yang Feng.

With a grim expression, Han Xian replied quietly, “Find a scapegoat.”

Yes, they had to find a suitable scapegoat.

These people were definitely unwilling to find fault with themselves and even less willing to admit that under the command of Marquis Leping, they found that there was such a disparity between them.

So they had to make others take the blame for their defeat.

Seeing that they had yet to offend Yang Feng to the point of losing sight of their remaining subordinates in the mountains, the two of them immediately had an idea about each other’s thoughts.

Who could be the scapegoat?

It was Xu Huang!

Han Xian immediately approached the troops that came with Yang Feng, even if they glared at him, they didn’t stop his steps as he began to speak, “Let me say a couple words.”

Seeing that they were a bit hesitant to stop, Han Xian went straight to the point, “Marquis Le Ping doesn’t have more eyes and brains than others.

Just think about it, and you will realize he shouldn’t have known our actions so clearly.

We had just arrived outside the castle of the Wei Family, and they arrived just after we did. What is going on here?”

Therefore, hearing Han Xian’s remarks, these followers of Yang Feng felt that there were some issues that needed to be addressed.

“What does General Han mean?”

“Surely, our movements must have been reported to Marquis Leping, leading to today’s disaster,” Han Xian continued to shift blame, increasingly convincing himself of the narrative.

He continued smoothly, “Commande Yang was also with our troops. Given Yang Feng’s concern for him, he would never risk implicating Commander Yang just to eliminate us. Of course, Yang Feng is magnanimous. Since he accepted Li and I here, he wouldn’t play both sides. We must stand together to counter Marquis Leping.”

“In this situation, who could have done this?” he asked.

“Commander Guo or… Xu Huang?” prompted by Han Xian, the bandit unconsciously responded.

“Perhaps Xu Huang is more likely,” Li Le added.

“He deemed our siege of the Wei fortress unfeasible beforehand, naturally preventing our success!

By leaking information and using others to hinder our actions, he not only proves his point but also avoids suspicion. Isn’t this the most advantageous situation for him?”

“But… both Commander Yang and Xu Huang are Yang Feng’s right-hand men?” the Yang Feng subordinate asked, puzzled.

“Right-hand men mean nothing when you have only one true ally”

“Moreover,” Han Xian said with a heavy tone, “how can you be sure that Xu Huang hasn’t entertained thoughts of replacing Yang Feng?”

“Of course, these are just our speculations. Just tell Yang Feng that we fell into someone else’s ambush,” he continued, sighing as if to convey a sense of reluctance and an unwillingness to sow discord, leaving the bandit he had prompted to speak increasingly unsure of the situation.

All he could think was that when he saw Yang Feng, he would truthfully report today’s events.

After all, Yang Feng would surely be better able to judge the situation.

Unfortunately, they had fled in such haste and confusion that they hadn’t even retrieved Yang Da’s body.

They didn’t know how they would explain this to Yang Feng.

As the soldiers pondered these matters, Han Xian and Li Le scrutinized their reactions, fearing their explanations hadn’t convinced them.

This silence weighed heavily upon the group.

But perhaps it was fate intervening.

Before they returned to the mountains, they unexpectedly crossed paths once again with Xu Huang’s troops.

Compared to when they descended the mountain, the numbers on both sides were now almost equal.

Moreover—

Xu Huang’s situation could indeed be described as a triumphant return.

The faces of the soldiers pushing the grain carts were clearly filled with joy.

Their whispered conversations highlighted the inner emptiness of the Zhao clan in Jixian, and this stark contrast in morale between the two sides was evident.

When the two sides met, the difference was as clear as night and day.

Han Xian and Li Le felt an indescribable discomfort in their hearts.

They even felt that Xu Huang’s gaze towards them was filled with ridicule.

But this truly wronged Xu Huang.

He was known for his broad-mindedness and loyalty, never harboring any thoughts of kicking someone when they’re down.

At most, as he scanned the crowd, he suddenly frowned and asked, “Where is Yang Da?”

If he hadn’t asked, it would have been fine.

But as soon as he posed the question, those in front of him cast him a gaze that could only be described as resentful.

Xu Huang would never mistake such a look.

This unabashedly accusatory emotion, when gathered en masse, was even harder to misinterpret.

He instinctively felt that something might have happened to Yang Da, but suspected it was even more serious given the reactions he observed.

He had a foreboding sense of unease.

Compared to these White Wave Bandits who were constantly on the move, Qiao Yan was much more at ease.

Although he didn’t know what would happen when these bandits were grouped together, he could guess some of it…

Facing the combined assault of Zhao Yun and Zhang Yang, this Hedong Bandits stands no chance.

……

Qiao Yan now stationed in Bingzhou, she has not changed her habits from her time in Leping.

She starts her morning with practice in spear techniques, archery, and riding.

By the time this round of training concludes, the sun is fully risen.

It is precisely at this time that Guo Jia arrives in Bingzhou.

He was led before Qiao Yan, noticing that she showed no signs of relaxation despite leading troops outside.

Just then, she took the silk handkerchief handed to her by an attendant and wiped the sweat from her forehead and neck.

With her spear just set aside, the sweat-absorbing cloth still wrapped around her wrist, she turned to look at Guo Jia.

It seem as if she could knock him down with a single punch.

“Why have you come?” Qiao Yan was somewhat surprised to see him here alone.

And of course, what she said when she spoke was also quite surprising.

Guo Jia struggled to divert his gaze from her wrist, eventually meeting her eyes and replying, “Jia thought there were still doubts about the system of rewarding merit proposed by Lord Qiao, so he came to discuss it.”