On March 16, in the fifth year of Tiantong, in Chang'an City, in the Prime Minister's Mansion, Qin Prime Minister Li You and Censor General Li Jin sat opposite each other. Their faces were covered with sorrow. Just this morning, they received the report that Zhao army chief Zhao Kuo fled without fighting and led the 30,000 Zhao troops to help Chang'an to head north and retreat to Zhao. Due to the escape of the Zhao army, Longguan, the western gateway to Guanzhong, also fell into the hands of the Deng army. The two Deng troops gathered, and 300,000 Deng troops came straight to Chang'an.

"Li Xiang, the only way to do this is to order Wu'an Jun to return to Chang'an." Baili Jin advised Li You. At this critical moment, Baili Jin thought of Baiqi at the first time. First, Baiqi was the first general of Qin and the most powerful commander of Qin. Except for him, Baili Jin had no confidence in others. Second, Baiqi had a total of 100,000 troops in his hands, which was more than half of the remaining troops in Qin. He had enough strength to defend Chang'an City. Third, that was the importance of Hangu Pass. Although most of the four barriers in the Guanzhong of Qin have been lost now, the importance of Hangu Pass still exists. There were more than 300,000 Deng troops outside Hangu Pass. If Hangu Pass at that time, it would mean that Qin would have been able to defend Chang'an City to the death.

"What the old master said is naturally clear. But if you ordered Wu'an to return to the court, you can only issue an order by Your Majesty himself. No one except Your Majesty can order Wu'an. However, Your Majesty's health is getting worse day by day. If Your Majesty knows about the war in Longguan again, you may be hit again. Now is the time for the Qin Dynasty to be at risk. If Your Majesty has a life or death, then the Qin Dynasty will be really beyond help." Li You sighed and said.

The imperial edict of Bai Qi to return to Chang'an was the last chance for Qin State to live. Li You naturally knew it, but no one except Qin Emperor could order Bai Qi, but who would tell Qin Emperor this? Qin Emperor is the backbone of Qin State. Now Qin Emperor is so poor now that if he knows about the Longguan War, he can't breathe in one breath. Then let alone Bai Qi, even ten Bai Qis can't save Qin State.

"But we can't just sit there and wait for death. Qin Ping of Wugong County can't stop the 300,000 Deng troops. Now the only one who can save the Qin Dynasty is Wu'anjun. No matter how difficult it is, we must let Wu'anjun come back." Baili Jin said.

"Okay, you and I will go to the palace to see Your Majesty now. If your Majesty makes any progress, we will report the war in Longguan truthfully. But if your Majesty still doesn't improve, then wait a little longer. Although Wugong County only has 5,000 soldiers and horses, it has 10,000 star-destroying crossbows, which can still be stabilized in a short period of time." Li You said.

After saying that, the two entered the palace together and came outside the Qin Emperor's bedroom. They happened to meet the imperial doctor who was treating Qin Emperor. They now urgently needed to understand Qin Emperor's physical condition, so they stopped the imperial doctor and asked, "Imperial Doctor, what is the situation of Your Majesty today?"

The imperial doctor said: "Return to Li Xiang, Your Majesty's situation has improved compared to the past, but you still need to rest!"

Hearing the words of the imperial doctor, Li You and Bai Li Jin couldn't help but smile bitterly on their faces. Rest, who doesn't know that what Qin Emperor needs most now is resting. However, now that Deng's army is in a big way, the four gates in Guanzhong have lost three of them. Hundreds of thousands of Deng troops are driving towards Chang'an in a mighty way. How could Qin Emperor rest peacefully? However, when Qin Emperor's health has improved, Li You and the other two are relieved. Now that they talk about the war in Longguan, they will not take Qin's life, but deterioration is inevitable. But now they can only report truthfully, otherwise if they drag on it, Deng's army will fight to the city of Chang'an.

The two walked into the bedroom. When the Qin Emperor saw them coming, he knew something was wrong, so he asked, "Li Xiang and Doctor Baili entered the palace together, but what's the important thing?"

Li You and Bai Li Jin looked at each other, and no one was willing to speak. When Qin Emperor saw this, he felt that something was wrong. It must be bad news. Otherwise, Li You and Bai Li Jin would not push and shove each other. So he emphasized his tone and said, "What the hell is it? Say it!"

Bailijin pushed Li You, and Li You smiled helplessly. At this time, he, the prime minister, could not escape, so he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, a few days ago, two Deng troops approached Longguan, and the Zhao army fled without fighting. Longguan lost. The Deng army in Xiliang had entered the pass and joined the Deng army in Guanzhong. There were 300,000 people. Now that the Deng army is approaching Wugong County, I have discussed with Doctor Baili, and only Wu'an Jun can save the Qin Dynasty and the water and fire. Therefore, I hope that Your Majesty can issue an edict to Wu'an Jun to return to Chang'an!"

"What! Longguan is lost? Puff..." When Qin Emperor Ying Zhuang heard this, he was in a state of chaos. He vomited a mouthful of blood and fainted. Seeing this, Li You and Baili Jin hurriedly supported Ying Zhuang and sent someone to ask for the imperial physician.

After nearly an hour of rescue from the imperial doctor, Ying Zhuang finally woke up. As soon as he woke up, Ying Zhuang grabbed Li You's hand and said, "Li Xiang, you just said that Zhao's army fled without fighting? Longguan was lost? But is it true?"

Li You nodded and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, the Zhao army fled without fighting and handed over Longguan to Deng's army. The Zhao army, led by its chief general Zhao Kuo, has already gone to Zhao's territory. Now 300,000 Deng's army has advanced to Wugong County. Please get up early to decide!"

"I am the Great Qin!" Ying Zhuang said with grief loudly, Longguan was lost, and there was no force west of Chang'an to obstruct the Deng army. Although there were still thousands of Qin troops in Wugong County, those little troops were like a drop in the ocean in front of the 300,000 Deng army, and they could not make any storms at all. In other words, it was only a matter of time before the Deng army fought under the city of Chang'an.

"Your Majesty, don't be pessimistic! The dragon body is important." Li You, Baili Jin and the others hurriedly stepped forward to support Ying Zhuang and said, "Your Majesty, Hangu Pass is still in the hands of the Qin Dynasty. Wu'an Jun still has a hundred thousand troops in his hands. My Qin has not yet been defeated, and there is still room for maneuver. Wu'an Jun is the number one general of my Qin Dynasty. With him, he will definitely be able to protect the Qin Dynasty."

"Yes, Bai Qi, I, Daqin and Bai Qi. Before my father died, he told me that even if my Daqin was at the end of his life, as long as Bai Qi is still there, my Daqin can still turn the tide. As long as Bai Qi is here, my Daqin will not perish!" At this critical moment, Ying Zhuang's trust in Bai Qi has reached a blind state. First, it is the last words of the Qin Dynasty's former king Ying Huai, and second, it is Bai Qi's record.

When Li You and Bai Li Jin heard this, they both admired the late Qin King Ying Huai very much. It turned out that Ying Huai had thought of this step eight years ago. Unfortunately, the king and minister of Qin still did not give Bai Qi enough trust, otherwise Qin would not have fallen into such a field. Now he has realized it, and I hope it is not too late.

"Your Majesty said so much. Now the only one who can save the Qin Dynasty is Wu'an. Please issue an edict to Wu'an to return to the court!" Baili Jin said.

"Okay, I will issue an edict now!" Ying Zhuang nodded, and then asked someone to draft an edict. After Ying Zhuang finished reading it and confirmed that it was correct, he covered the jade seal and handed it to Li You, saying, "Li Xiang, this is an edict to Wu'anjun. You send someone to send it to Lantiangu Camp. At the same time, you tell Wu'anjun that the troops in his hand are the last hope of the Qin Dynasty, so that he must bring the troops back as completely as possible!"

Ying Zhuang was not anxious and still remembered the situation Bai Qi was facing now. Although he wanted to order Bai Qi to return to Chang'an, Bai Qi could not come back as soon as he came back. There was also a 150,000 army led by Murong Ke outside the Lantian Valley. He had been staring at Bai Qi long ago. As long as Bai Qi moved, Murong Ke would entrap Bai Qi at all costs. Although Ying Zhuang really hoped that Bai Qi could come back as soon as possible, Ying Zhuang was also very clear that Chang'an not only needed Bai Qi, but also a 100,000 army under Bai Qi's command. Without these troops, it would be useless for Bai Qi to come back.

"Here!" Li You replied, and then sent someone to pass on the imperial edict.

It took only three days to go to Chang'an in Lantian Valley. The messenger rushed to whip his horse and delivered the edict to Bai Qi in just one day.

After receiving the edict, Bai Qi could not speak for a long time. He did not expect that the Western Front had become so decayed. Bai Qi had already expected that the Western Front would be defeated. Since Geng Yue died in battle, Bai Qi asserted that the Western Front was defeated, but he did not expect it to be so fast.

"Your Majesty, if you can trust me as soon as possible, maybe the Qin Dynasty would not have fallen into such a field. Good fortune will make people!" Bai Qi murmured with a bitter expression facing northwest and looking at Chang'an.

Bai Qi knew very well that Ying Zhuang and the ministers in the court regarded him as the last straw, but Fu Xin asked himself that in the face of such a dilemma, Bai Qi himself was not very sure. Once he evacuated Lantian Valley, Murong Ke's 150,000 Deng army would immediately march into Chang'an and join Li Siye and Deng Han's army. At that time, Deng's army would have a force of more than 400,000, and it would be more than enough to siege a Chang'an city. Moreover, he could not guarantee that he could bring all the 100,000 troops back to Chang'an.

However, as the last hope of Qin, Bai Qi knew that his chances of victory were not great, but he had to persevere to the end. His Bai family has been Qin generals for generations. If Qin was gone, Bai Qi didn't know what the meaning of the existence of the Bai family was. Therefore, even though he knew that he could not do it, Bai Qi would not give up. Even if there was only one percent chance, Bai Qi would try hard. Thinking of this, Bai Qi asked the generals to gather together.

After a while, the Qin generals Bai Chen, Meng Tong, Meng Li, Li Jin, and Xing Cong came to the central army's tent. In recent years, the Qin army has been defeated repeatedly and the generals in the army have suffered serious losses. The remaining generals who can be used are under the command of Bai Qi and Ying Huai.

"Greetings to you!" Everyone saluted Bai Qi.

Bai Qi nodded and said, "The Zhao army abandoned Longguan, and the two Deng troops joined forces to advance to Chang'an. Your Majesty issued an edict to order me to lead my army back to Chang'an!" Bai Qi did not say much nonsense, and directly told everyone the current situation.

"What!" Everyone was shocked when they heard this. They didn't expect that the Western Front would collapse so quickly. It was unexpected.

"What are you going to do?" Bai Chen asked. Ying Zhuang's order was to be abide by, but Bai Qi is the one who is in charge at the moment. If Bai Qi doesn't return to Chang'an, everything will be useless.

"Your order cannot be violated. Besides, Chang'an is the capital of our Great Qin Kingdom. Its foundation and lifeline is not allowed to be lost. Therefore, I have decided to return to Chang'an soon!" Bai Qi said.

"But Master, Murong Ke will not let us go so easily!" Bai Chen said. Bai Qi's decision seemed to be wrong and reasonable in Bai Chen's opinion. But the problem is that even if they want to leave, they will not be able to leave so easily. Murong Ke and 150,000 Deng Jun outside Lantian Valley will not let them go so easily.

"That's natural!" Bai Qi said: "Murong Ke and I have been confronting each other for a long time, and no one can do anything to each other, but Murong Ke has been reluctant to withdraw his troops. It is obvious that he is holding me back. I also believe that Li Siye and the others must have known Murong Ke. As long as my army moves, Murong Ke will definitely entangle me tightly."

"What should I do if you are the master?" Li Jin asked.

Bai Qi thought for a while and said, "For the sake of the present plan, I had to leave a group of people. Under the banner of my master, I stayed in the camp. The main army withdrew to Chang'an. Just leave behind the people who have left behind. It will definitely be a life-threatening death. I don't want to force you. If anyone is willing to stay, stand up!"

It is necessary to leave a soldier and horse to cut off the back, but once his main force retreats, Murong Ke will launch an offensive as soon as possible. The soldiers and horses left behind may be difficult to stop the Deng army's offensive, so Bai Qi also left his banner. Bai Qi knew that the person Murong Ke was most afraid of was himself. As long as he was still in Lantian Valley, Murong Ke would not launch an offensive easily and leave a banner. Although he could not hide it for Murong Ke for the rest of his life, he could hide it for a while and gain more time. Leaving a cross is a life-and-death life. Even if Bai Qi was the main general, it was not easy to call him directly, so he simply let them decide for themselves. If they were willing to stay, volunteer to stand up.

When everyone heard this, they looked at each other. It was obvious that those who left behind would definitely be a life-and-death death, but someone had to stay. Among the few people here, Bai Qi was the main general and could not stay. If Bai Qi was not there, it would not work for them to return to Chang'an. Bai Chen was a member of the Bai Qi clan and the person Bai Qi trusted the most, and would not stay, so he could only choose among the four people, Meng Tong, Meng Li, Li Jin, and Xing Cong.

After a while, Meng Tong and Meng Li brothers stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to leave behind the enemy!"

Seeing this, Bai Qi was deeply relieved and praised: "Okay, the Meng family is a loyal and martyr. You brothers can be so responsible at this moment of national crisis, without insulting the Meng family, and General Meng can be relieved even in the dark."

"Your Majesty, I have been kind to the Qin Dynasty, and I have long shared the same relationship with the Qin Dynasty. It is the honor of our brothers to die for the Qin Dynasty today!" Meng Tong said.

Bai Qi nodded and said, "It is a blessing for Daqin to have a general like you, but this battle is extremely dangerous and can be said to be a life-and-death death. General Meng only has you two sons, so you two can only leave one person!"

Meng Li wanted to say something, but was pulled by Meng Tong, and then said to Meng Li: "Your Majesty is right, second brother, you go back to Chang'an with you and stay for you!"

"Brother, I..." Meng Li was moved when she looked at her elder brother's performance.

"Don't say anything more. I'm the eldest brother. I have the final say. You and I will go back to Chang'an with you!" Meng Tong said.

"Brother!" Meng Li said in tears when she heard this.

"Second brother, don't act as a daughter. In the future, our Meng family will depend on you. Don't let your father and brother down!" Meng Tong said.

"Your Majesty, the last general is willing to stay with General Meng!" Just as the two brothers of the Meng family were in love with each other, Xing Cong also stood up and said.

"General Xing, you know the danger of this battle. Do you have to think clearly?" Bai Qi said to Xing Cong with a serious look on his face.

Unlike the Meng brothers, although Xing Cong had been in the army for a long time, he was promoted for a short time. Moreover, in terms of closeness, he could not be compared with the Meng brothers, so Bai Qi never thought that Xing Cong would stand up by himself from beginning to end.

Xing Cong nodded and said, "Your Majesty, the generals are very clear. In terms of ability, the generals are not as good as the generals. They can hold high positions thanks to the grace of Your Majesty and the emperor. Today is also the time to let the generals work for Your Majesty and the emperor. I just hope that after repelling Deng's army in the future, the generals can take care of the family of the generals, and the generals will die without regrets!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Qi walked to Xing Cong, patted Xing Cong on the shoulder, and said, "Don't worry, General Xing, I know how to do it!"

"Thank you!" Xing Cong thanked.

"Since that's the case, General Meng Tong and General Xing Cong will leave behind the rear, but I can only leave you 30,000 troops. What's the problem?" Bai Qi said.

Bai Qi has a large army of 100,000, but after returning to Chang'an, he will face hundreds of thousands of Deng's troops, so he can definitely bring more back as much as possible. However, there should not be too few soldiers left behind, otherwise how can he stop the 150,000 Deng's troops? So 30,000 was the result of Bai Qi's repeated weighing.
Chapter completed!