Covering the retreat? Not even a dog would do that!

Facing a group of Xian Family members who were full of earnest advice, Xian Chong finally understood the choice made by his cousin, Xian Ying.

The Xian Family had truly reached the point where they would sell out anyone for their own interests, even if that person was their own flesh and blood, and even if they usually called him their prodigy.

Xian Chong stood up unsteadily and looked down at these hideous relatives.

"You can go ahead and leave with peace of mind. I will definitely block the pursuing troops. Go!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and went off to pack their belongings, completely failing to notice the fierce look on Xian Chong's face.

Mao Biao never expected Feng Pu to be so decisive, fleeing that very night. By the time he discovered it, it was already noon, and they had been running for several hours.

He wanted to send the Cavalry to pursue them, but was blocked; there were actually still defenders in that camp.

This made Mao Biao want to ask: "Whose subordinates are these? They are so brave that they stayed behind even knowing they would surely die!"

In the Southern Yue Army camp, Xian Chong was shouting at a group of confused soldiers: "Brothers, we have been abandoned by them. They want us to act as the rearguard!"

"Rearguard? Isn't that just a death sentence?"

"Exactly! Isn't staying behind just asking for death?"

"Yes, it's a death sentence!"

Xian Chong spoke bluntly, his face also showing an expression of indignation: "They only care about saving their own lives and don't care about ours, so why should we risk our lives for them?"

The soldiers seemed to have found a kindred spirit, and one by one, they became incensed: "Yes, General, you are right. Why should we risk our lives for them?"

"General, tell us, what should we do?"

"Yes, we will listen to you, General!"

Xian Chong was very satisfied with the soldiers' reaction, but he decided to take a gamble: "Those who have wives and children to support at home, stand out. I will allow you to leave first. The rest will stay with me until nightfall."

"I'm a bachelor anyway, one person eats and the whole family is full."

"Me too, I'll stay with the General."

"I have an older brother at home, so I'm not afraid of the family line ending. I'll stay too."

In the end, only a little over a hundred people left, but Xian Chong clearly saw that these soldiers looked at him with even more admiration.

Once those who were supposed to leave had left, Xian Chong announced his decision: "About a hundred miles to the west is Gui Prefecture. My cousin Xian Xing serves as the chief clerk in Gui Prefecture, and my cousin Xian Ying is now a concubine to the Duke of Xicheng Commandery, Gao Yuan. How about we go and join them? I won't force anyone. If you don't want to go, you can leave now. I, Xian Chong, swear here that I will never stop you!"

Another two or three hundred people left. The remaining four thousand or so soldiers were, if not completely devoted to Xian Chong, at least fully trusting of him.

After surviving the whole day, just as Mao Biao decided to launch an attack the next day to annihilate this rearguard Southern Yue Army, he woke up the next morning to find, good heavens, they had all run away.

Now, both Mao Biao and Meng Zhenshan looked displeased. Feeling like they had been played for fools, they were furious and immediately ordered the entire army to attack and pursue the Southern Yue Army.

The pursuers went all the way south, while Xian Chong led his men west, enjoying a peaceful journey.

Feng Pu didn't really believe that Xian Chong and the five thousand new recruits left behind could hold out for long, so he marched very quickly, not caring if anyone fell behind.

After entering Chenzhou, he specially set up an ambush, preparing to deal a heavy blow to the pursuing troops.

And it turned out he was right to wait.

Meng Zhenshan was cautious at first, afraid that Feng Pu would ambush him, but after pursuing for two days and seeing the stragglers and defeated soldiers on the side of the road, his vigilance relaxed.

It was at this moment that the ambush appeared.

The greatest advantage of the Cavalry is mobility and impact, but once ambushed, this advantage cannot be utilized, and it becomes a disaster.

In the panic, the Valiant Cavalry Guard suffered a huge loss. In the end, it was Meng Zhenshan who personally led the charge to cut a bloody path out of the encirclement.

In just over an hour, the Valiant Cavalry Guard lost more than a thousand men and nearly a thousand warhorses. This loss made Meng Zhenshan so angry he almost vomited blood.

This time he was ruthless, biting at Feng Pu's heels, chasing him all the way to the city of Chenzhou before stopping.

Although they lost more than five thousand men, the main force of the Southern Yue Army finally retreated, and they even gave Meng Zhenshan a heavy slap in the face. For Feng Pu, this was some consolation.

Back in the city, he finally had time to mourn his heroically sacrificed son. Looking at the empty room, he couldn't help but weep.

On the other side, the patrolling Beiwei Army at the border discovered a disheveled army and immediately stepped forward to surround this group of unknown origins.

Xian Chong spurred his horse forward, cupped his hands in a salute: "I am Xian Chong of the Xian Family in South of the Ranges, here to join my cousin Xian Xing."

"Xian Xing? Do you mean the chief clerk of the Governors Office?"

"Exactly!"

The leading Brigade Commander carefully examined this troop and nodded: "You all, put down your weapons, remove your armor, and follow us back to the camp."

Xian Chong obediently removed his weapons and armor, and then the group followed the patrolling Beiwei Army to the nearest camp.

Hearing that Xian Chong had arrived, Xian Xing and Xian Ying were very happy and hurried to the county where Xian Chong was.

Seeing that it was indeed their cousin, the two wept with joy, holding their cousin's hands and asking about everything.

If it were before, Xian Chong would have tearfully recounted his grievances. However, having experienced being betrayed and abandoned by his clansmen, and the hardships of the journey, his mental fortitude had been greatly tempered.

He calmly recounted how he was pushed out by Xian Jun to be a scapegoat, and how he had used his wits to find a way to survive.

Xian Xing and Xian Ying were not surprised at all, but Xian Ying was still indignant: "I saw long ago that those in the direct line were not good people. It's fortunate we left early, otherwise, we would have been the ones left behind as scapegoats."

Xian Xing also felt a lingering fear, saying that his branch's relationship with the main line was even thinner than Xian Chong's, and could even be described as tense, so if something happened, he and his sister would definitely have been the first to be abandoned.

After Xian Ying finished being angry, she took Xian Chong's hand: "Let's go, Sister will take you to eat. You've become so thin you're unrecognizable."

With their identities confirmed, the lives of the soldiers under Xian Chong improved. Not only was the rice porridge replaced with dry rice, but they also had a bowl of chicken soup and a portion of vegetables, which made these soldiers feel that following Xian Chong was actually not bad.

At the dinner table, watching Xian Chong wolf down his food, Xian Ying felt very distressed.

Seeing that he had eaten enough, Xian Xing finally spoke: "Cousin Chong, what are your plans next? If not, you can help your sister at her place; she is a well-known wealthy person now."

Xian Chong swallowed the food in his mouth and wiped the grease from his lips: "Brother, Sister, I want to continue being a soldier, to be a soldier under you."

Xian Xing and Xian Ying looked at each other, feeling a bit troubled. Finally, Xian Ying spoke: "Cousin Chong, we can't decide this matter. We still need to ask Commandery Duke Gao for instructions regarding the specifics."

Xian Chong was still very confident in his abilities, patted his chest and said: "Brother, Sister, don't worry, I guarantee Commandery Duke Gao will accept me."

"Alright, then I, your brother, will take you to see Governor Ma first, and then write you a letter of recommendation. As for these soldiers under your command, leave them here; I will make proper arrangements for them."

"Then thank you, Brother."

The next day, Xian Xing took Xian Chong to see Ma Song.

Ma Song was quite happy that someone had come to join them. He tested Xian Chong's martial arts and immediately wrote a letter of recommendation to Gao Yuan.

As for the four thousand or so soldiers, after screening, more than a thousand were kept, and the rest were given money, grain, and land to settle down.