After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times-Chapter 911 - 897: My Kindred Spirit

Standing on the city tower, letting out a long whistle and watching the Xiongnu army retreating, Liu Kun suddenly shuddered, widened his eyes, stopped, and listened closely. He asked those around him, "Did you hear that? Someone below is singing in response."

Those around him also perked up their ears to listen and vaguely heard some sounds, "It might be the refugees outside the city hearing the music and feeling inspired, thus singing a couple of lines in response."

Liu Kun listened intently for a while and became increasingly excited, "I didn’t expect there to be such talent among the refugees. Quickly open the city gate and invite them in."

Linghu Sheng was stationed at the city gate, shocked by Liu Kun’s use of the hujia to repel the enemy. Upon hearing Liu’s words, he quickly regained his composure and stopped him, saying, "Lord, although the Xiongnu army has retreated, they must have left scouts behind. How do we know this isn’t a deception to lure our troops out? Once the city gate is opened, if the Xiongnu strike back, with their cavalry’s speed, we may not close the gate in time, endangering Jinyang."

Liu Kun was adamant, "They have already retreated, showing no will to fight, how could they strike back? I used the hujia to make them retreat precisely to open the city gate and let the refugees in."

Linghu Sheng responded, "Even so, we should wait until they have retreated to a safe distance before opening the gate. We must also deploy troops to establish checkpoints to prevent a surprise return. We should only open the gate to let the refugees in when we are fully prepared."

Liu Kun’s expression darkened slightly as he asked, "But until when? Will we still be able to find them by then?"

Linghu Sheng took a deep breath and said, "Lord, Jinyang is the key."

"Of course, I know Jinyang is the key," Liu Kun sought an excuse for himself, "but it’s hard to find a person of great talent. This person, after hearing the music a few times, could respond with such resonant words, showing his talent. Perhaps he has a way to help us repel the enemy?"

He added, "You know, this piece was given to me by Lord Zhao. When I played it, I was astounded, never expecting that there would be a third person in this world who could respond to the music with such beautiful words. Isn’t this a kindred spirit?"

Linghu Sheng was momentarily stunned, then hurriedly asked, "Is this the piece that Lord Zhao gave you?"

Liu Kun looked at him resentfully, "General Linghu, I’ve played it for you so many times, and you didn’t recognize it?"

Linghu Sheng was slightly embarrassed; he wasn’t interested in music, yawning each time he heard it, unable to remember the tune.

But...

Linghu Sheng’s eyes lit up as he said to Liu Kun, "I will quietly send someone out to find them."

He didn’t understand music, but he knew how remarkable this piece was. When Liu Kun first received the score, he had invited city officials and scholars to listen, even traveling far to invite Tuoba Yilu from the Xianbei.

Linghu Sheng couldn’t understand why one would travel such a distance just to hear a piece of music.

Yet he trusted the Inspector’s musical judgment, believing the piece was extraordinary and not something just anyone could respond to.

Linghu Sheng stared intensely at the dark mass below the city tower, where the singing originated.

It had been half a month since they last received news from the Central Plains. The last they heard was that Shi Le had surrendered to Governor Zhao.

Could it be that Governor Zhao had sent someone to rescue them and relieve the siege?

Linghu Sheng wasn’t familiar with music, but he knew military tactics well. Moreover, he had long admired Governor Zhao, and, thinking from their perspective, he concluded that using a song was the best way to discreetly notify people in the city, especially with a music-loving Inspector in Jinyang.

Linghu Sheng personally selected ten soldiers, instructing them to quietly open the small gate of the East City Gate under the cover of darkness.

It couldn’t be helped; outside the South City Gate were crowded refugees, whereas those outside the East City Gate were a bit further away. Moving quickly, they wouldn’t let the refugees in, nor would they be noticed.

Ming Yu and his group, being attentive as they were, naturally watched for movement at the small gates. They saw the East City Gate’s small gate open briefly and approached immediately...

Meanwhile, Zhao Hanzhang had just gathered his men, standing halfway up the mountain, waiting quietly.

The Xiongnu army withdrew, but at this time of night, they couldn’t have gone far. The withdrawal was to calm the troops’ restless minds, allowing them to walk a bit when they yearned for home.

Liu Sheng believed that once they vented their emotions and distanced themselves from the city wall’s music, they could regain their composure. With some encouragement, their fighting spirit would return, and they could besiege the city again.

So Liu Sheng wasn’t worried.

With both camps soldiers downcast, the music from the city wall could no longer be heard. The only sounds were the clanking of armor and weapons, accompanied by the chirping of insects and frogs, as their rationality gradually returned.

Before they could fully gather their wits, the urgent sound of hoofbeats exploded in their ears. The rear officer tensed and shouted, "Enemy attack, enemy attack, there’s an ambush—"

Before he could finish, Zhao Hanzhang, wielding a spear, led a hundred cavalrymen charging into the Xiongnu forces. Following the sound, he found him and thrust his spear forward. Though the man dodged instinctively, he was still struck in the shoulder. Before he could react, Zhao Hanzhang had already withdrawn the spearhead and slashed again. His last sight was a sky full of stars.

How strange, there was only a solitary moon just now, so how did all these stars appear?

Zhao Hanzhang charged into the Xiongnu forces, followed by two thousand elite soldiers. As they weaved through, the Xiongnu army turned their rear into their front, trying to counter the attack. But before they could complete their formation, another army struck them from an angle.

Shi Le led his troops, attacking from the south, slicing through the Xiongnu army, dividing it so the front could not connect with the rear.

After nearly a quarter of an hour of fighting, Zhao Hanzhang and Shi Le converged at a central point, combining their forces into one and tearing through to the north.

The depth of the penetration was too great; continuing forward could easily trap them in the Xiongnu encirclement, so advancing northward was the only option.

Liu Sheng, in the vanguard, finally reassembled to counterattack, but Zhao Hanzhang and his forces were already breaking through the encirclement. Naturally, he was unwilling to let them go.

Besides, despite their displayed prowess, there were few in number. Liu Sheng felt he couldn’t afford such a defeat; they had to kill more of the enemy.

He ordered his troops systematically to surround Zhao Hanzhang and Shi Le. Before they could close in, Zhao Hanzhang led the charge out. Seeing Shi Le trapped in the middle, without a second thought, Zhao Hanzhang turned back, leading Zeng Yue and others to charge in again. After reuniting with Shi Le, they fought their way out together.

Shi Le glanced at her, intending to offer thanks, but they were interrupted by earth-shaking battle cries.

Together, he and Zhao Hanzhang lifted their heads to look.

Seeing the approaching army and flags, Zhao Hanzhang laughed heartily, "The Jinyang army has arrived; there’s no longer any worry!"

Linghu Sheng’s son, Linghu Ni, led the charge, reaching Zhao Hanzhang, looking at her with bright eyes, "My Lady, are you Governor Zhao? My father, no, Lord Liu sent me to greet you."

Zhao Hanzhang glanced at him, nodded, and the two armies joined forces, defeating the Xiongnu, leaving them fleeing in disarray.