The Beacon of Kyushu

Daizhou, Yanmen Pass.

Among the nine passes in the world, Yanmen Pass is the most important. The majestic pass is nestled in the mountains and perched high on Gouzhu Mountain. The mountains are undulating on the east and west wings. The mountain ridge Great Wall is winding. It goes east through Pingxing Pass, Zijing Pass, Daoma Pass, and directly reaches Youyan, connecting to the vast sea; it goes west to Xuangangkou, Ningwu Pass, Piantou Pass, and reaches the Yellow River. The pass has two gates, the east and the west, both of which are built with huge bricks, and are majestic and magnificent. The plaques "Natural Danger" and "Geographical Advantage" are carved on the door lintels respectively. There are towers on both the east and west gates, towering into the sky, magnificent and magnificent, worthy of being the unparalleled place among the three passes, and the respected first pass among the nine passes.

Under the scorching sun, Yang Ye, wearing golden armor and holding a long sword, stood at Yanmen Pass. He was no longer young, his gray beard was gently blown by the mountain breeze, and his weathered face looked particularly vicissitudes in the sun, but his gaze into the distance was more resolute than that of a young man. Suddenly, a burst of hurried horse hoof sounds came from the northeast, which was the direction of the border between the Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty.

When Yang Ye heard the sound of horse hooves, his expression became more solemn. The defenders on the top of the city saw that their commander had a strange look on his face, and they all became alert, looking eagerly at the direction where the sound of horse hooves came from, waiting for Yang Ye's order to shoot arrows and kill the enemy. The riders arrived at Yanmen Pass in a blink of an eye, and everyone realized that the riders were not the Liao army, but the scouts sent by Yang Ye to spy on the military situation.

When the scout arrived at the foot of the city, he saw Yang Ye standing at the critical juncture and hurriedly bowed and saluted on his horse, saying, "I greet General Yang!"

Yang Ye's expression did not relax at all, and he asked in a deep voice: "The Liao army has arrived so soon? How far is it from here?"

The scout nodded and said, "Yes, General, the Liao army is less than a hundred miles away!"

Yang Ye asked: "How many soldiers are there in the Liao army? Who is the commander-in-chief?"

The scout said nervously, "Reporting to the general, the commander-in-chief is the imperial concubine's attendant Xiao Duli, and under his command are Li Chonghui, the commander of the cavalry and infantry, and Yelu Xiu'ge, the privy envoy of the Northern Court. The three of them are leading a total of 100,000 troops to attack our Yanmen Pass!"

When Yang Ye heard the names of Xiao Duli and Li Chonghui, his face was calm, as if he didn't take the two generals seriously at all. Only when he heard Yelu Xiu'ge, a cautious look appeared on his face, "Well, I know. You quickly cross Gouzhu Mountain and go to Jinyang to ask Lord Pan for help. Ask him to lead the army to Yanmen within three days, otherwise..."

Before he finished speaking, he heard the footsteps of several people behind him, "General Yang, do you have anything to do with me?"

Yang Ye turned around quickly and saw that the person coming was none other than Pan Mei, the commander of the three intersections of Hedong, and several of his personal soldiers were following closely behind him. Yang Ye was shocked and bowed deeply, saying, "I greet Lord Pan. I did not receive any notification and did not know that Lord Pan was coming suddenly. I was unable to greet him from afar. Please forgive me!"

Pan Mei waved his hand and said, "No problem! I am only here for a routine inspection, so I did not send anyone to inform you. I hope General Yang will not blame me for being rash."

Yang Ye shook his head and said, "I dare not. But now the Liao army is about to attack Yanmen. If you are not in the rear, you will not be able to send reinforcements in time. I am afraid that with only 3,000 soldiers in Yanmen, it will be difficult to resist the Liao army of 100,000. I would like to ask you to return to the rear and send reinforcements to defend Yanmen as soon as possible!"

Pan Meiqing has been traveling light lately, often going back and forth between the passes under his jurisdiction for inspection, so he has not received any news of the Liao invasion. At this moment, when he heard Yang Ye mention this, his expression was shocked, "What! The Liao Kingdom actually sent a hundred thousand troops to attack Yanmen Pass? In order to protect Yanmen Pass, I will return to Jinyang immediately, but I am afraid that this round trip will take at least five or six days, and by then I am afraid that the big thing will be over!"

Yang Ye had been guarding this place for a long time, so how could he not know Pan Mei's difficulties? He could only hold the long sword and said with emotion: "Well, what Lord Pan said is very true! The only way now is to sacrifice my entire Yang family and rely on the danger of Yanmen Pass to fight the tiger and wolf army of Liao! However, the death of my entire Yang family is a small matter. Once the Liao army seizes Yanmen and rushes to Jinyang, the Song Dynasty will be in danger!" Pan Mei sighed lightly, "Alas, I, Pan Mei, have been an old minister of several dynasties and have received the grace of the country. Now that a disaster is imminent, how can I watch General Yang's entire family die in battle and stand by and watch? Don't worry, as long as the Liao army dares to kill to Yanmen, I will live and die with Yanmen! At worst, we will die here together, and when we meet Taizu a hundred years later, we will have a clear conscience!"

As Pan and Yang were talking, dust suddenly rose in the northeast, and the sounds of horse hooves, footsteps, and armor clanged mixed together, reaching from the sky to the earth. Gouzhu Mountain seemed to be shaking in the loud noise, and Yanmen Pass was about to collapse.

Yang Ye pointed to the distance and said, "General Pan, look! The enemy is here!"

As he spoke, the 100,000 Liao troops surged from the north to the south like a thick black cloud. When they got close, the Liao troops set up camp, and Yang Ye and Pan Mei were vaguely visible. The camp was well arranged, and the food and grass in the camp were also quite sufficient. It was obvious that they would not return until they captured Yanmen Pass.

Pan Mei nodded slightly and suddenly drew his sword, "General Yang, it is better for you and me to lead the army to fight to the death while the enemy has not yet established a stable camp. There may be a glimmer of hope."

"Yes, I obey your command! Even if I die on the battlefield for my country, I must protect Yanmen and never let the Liao people wantonly interfere in the beautiful land of the Song Dynasty!" Yang Ye drew his sword and was about to follow Pan Mei to Xiaguan to fight.

Before the two men walked down the city wall, a young general in silver armor and white robes came up the stairs quickly. "Father." The general in white robes bowed to Yang Ye and was about to speak when he saw Pan Mei there. He was startled and said, "I am Yang Yanzhao, the last general, and I am honored to meet you, Lord Pan!"

Pan Mei smiled and said, "General Yang, please excuse me. I have long heard that General Yang is a man of both civil and military talents. I have come to see your father now. Do you have any plan to defeat the enemy?"

Yang Yanzhao said, "Master Pan, you are too kind! As you said, I do have an idea, but whether it will succeed depends on Master Pan and my father."

Yang Ye asked, "Zhao'er, if you have any plan, please tell us quickly, and don't try to be mysterious in front of Lord Pan."

Yang Yanzhao said, "Yes. Han Feizi said, 'A gentleman who practices etiquette never tires of being faithful. In battle, he never tires of being deceitful.' For now, if we just keep fighting the Liao army, we will be completely wiped out. Only by making good use of extraordinary strategies can we win. As for the specific plan, I would like to ask Lord Pan and my father to come over to avoid leaks."

Pan Mei and Yang Ye followed his instructions and came over. Yang Yanzhao then lowered his voice and told them everything he had planned. The two were stunned at first, but then they laughed at the same time, with confidence in victory in their eyes.

(End of this chapter)