According to Xue San’s estimation, if all goes well, they will reach Chu Territory in two days. Xue San has many brothers in the Jianghu, a wide network, and is very well-informed. So, he sent trusted aides in advance to find Hua Liandie, who is leading an uprising in Chu Territory, and notified her about Ye Shikai’s revolt, hoping Hua Liandie could prepare to assist in advance.

Frankly speaking, Xue San is not sure whether she is willing to send troops to assist, after all, Hua Liandie does not owe Ye Shikai anything and has no obligation to help. However, Xue San plans to give it a try because Hua Liandie and Ye Shikai had a good relationship before, so he can only hope that Hua Liandie would, for the sake of past ties, lend Ye Shikai and He Linghan a helping hand.

"Madam, please endure this a little longer. Once we reach Chu Territory, if you want to punish us, I will have no complaints."

"Brother Xue San, don’t blame yourself. I can endure it, just keep traveling," He Linghan gasped for breath, took a short break, and finally looked a little better.

"Thank you, Madam, for understanding."

Hehua helped He Linghan into the carriage, and Xue San dared not delay, immediately ordering the whole army to set off, continuing to retreat south. Nanyang County is the "Great County," a place of four battles, flat terrain with no natural defense, a strategically contested location since ancient times, and is the "abdomen of the world." Heading west connects to Ba Shu, going south reaches Chu Territory, heading north leads to the Central Plain, and Qin Army has significant forces here. Xue San is worried the troops will be discovered; in open terrain, they cannot resist and will only face slaughter.

East County.

After a night’s march, everyone including Ye Shikai was exhausted, but being an escape, they dare not complain. Perhaps their survival instincts drove them to give their all, so even the women and children ran out of the mountains overnight, moving faster than Ye Shikai expected.

"Old Ye, we are out of the mountain now but cannot relax, the plain terrain is even more dangerous for us," Shangguan Jian reminded. He was very reasonable, which is why he suggested not choosing the flat plains for retreat routes but rather mountainous roads where forces cannot easily be deployed.

"That’s right, we’ll set off soon according to the plan toward the mountains," Ye Shikai nodded in agreement. "Han Hao leads seventy to eighty thousand troops, which is seventy percent of the forces in East County and He Nei County. Now, there are uprising activities everywhere in the two counties, so I am certain Han Hao will not pursue. Otherwise, the forces in the two counties would be depleted, and if the uprising army captures the county at this point, Han Hao’s fault would be even greater; he is a rational person and will not chase recklessly." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Ye Shikai knew Han Hao well; he is a qualified general. If someone threatens the Qin Dynasty’s rule, he is a qualified "pawn," but he also has a sense of the big picture and won’t sacrifice the big benefits for small gains. The emperor’s secret order was to secretly resolve the populace near the falling star, but he has not completed it, and even let Ye Shikai and these "rebels" escape, which is a serious crime. If other generals wanted to redeem their sins, they would certainly pursue relentlessly until exterminated. But Ye Shikai believes Han Hao is not like that. For the safety of the two counties, he will certainly retreat.

"Do we need to wait longer, Old Ye? We are in a very urgent situation now..."

"Man Cang and the Iron Armor Army have not yet reported back; let’s wait for them here." Ye Shikai was still concerned about Man Cang, from the situation last night, Man Cang seemed to have engaged in a fierce battle with the Qin Army. The enemies outnumber us, and I am not sure about the current situation.

"Alright, we’ll wait here for a while then."

Four hours later.

The mountain’s populace has left one after another, leaving only some women and elderly who have difficulty moving; the army remained in place and had not set off.

"No more, Old Ye, we can’t keep waiting; even if Han Hao doesn’t chase, the longer we stay in the mountains, the more dangerous it gets. Moreover, other county’s garrison will certainly be waiting ahead, can’t afford anymore delays," Shangguan Jian lost some patience, but he was not indifferent to Man Cang’s safety. However, after all, they are escaping now, with only a few thousand remaining troops, any careless moves could lead to complete defeat.

"But... no, Man Cang hasn’t reported back yet. Let’s do this, I will personally lead the cavalry to go, you take the remaining troops and proceed first."

"No, Old Ye, you are now the commander of this troops; you cannot afford any mishaps." Shangguan Jian stopped Ye Shikai.

"How about this, I’ll lead the cavalry to go, you take the remaining soldiers and set off. Once I find Man Cang, we’ll meet up."

"Alright then, you be cautious."

...............

In the deep mountains.

"General Man, it seems we are trapped here." Meanwhile, on the other side of the mountain, after fighting a night with the Qin Army, Man Cang led the Iron Armor Army and retreated to this hidden place. The Qin Army, with their greater numbers, made Man Cang dare not be careless, fighting while retreating. Though not directly blocking, they managed to fool the large Qin Army.

With the dawn, they lost the cover of night, and the Qin Army had entered the mountains, so Man Cang had no choice but to lead his troops to quietly leave, afraid to make any noise. However... it seems they are a step late.

"Yes, we are escaping the jaws of the tiger; we cannot relax for a moment." Man Cang looked at his brothers behind him, even counting the wounded soldiers; there are only about fifteen hundred, so few soldiers for such a critical situation.

"Everyone, follow me." Man Cang led the way in front, with soldiers following behind.

"Look, the rebels are there, chase them." Suddenly, a voice shouted below, and when Man Cang looked down, a squad of Qin Soldiers was patrolling below, around a few hundred men. Perhaps some soldier accidentally kicked a rock, and it rolled down, alerting them.

"Fire arrows."

Swish, swish, swish.

Dozens of arrows shot up from below, instantly knocking down more than a dozen soldiers. Man Cang dodged too late and was hit on the left arm by an arrow, blood streaming. The Qin Army’s strong bows and crossbows can penetrate armor; if the arrowheads were poisoned, they would be even more lethal.

"General, are you alright?" a guard asked anxiously.

"Don’t worry, I’m fine." Man Cang surveyed the surroundings; they were now above, and the Qin Army below found it hard to chase, but the shouting would certainly attract other Qin Soldiers toward here, leading to encirclement.

"Quick, everyone retreat swiftly west, do not stop." Man Cang shouted loudly. At that moment, surrounding Qin Soldiers were approaching, joining the "siege."