As soon as those words were spoken, everyone's expressions brightened.

Prince Qing sat in his chair, his face still expressionless, but he leaned back, hiding half of his body in the shadows cast by the candlelight.

Jin Pingyong's face, however, glowed even more brightly in the candlelight. He flicked his sleeves, bowed to Prince Qing, and then laughed heartily:

"This is all thanks to Your Highness."

"The prince ordered his men to collect all the kerosene, so that it could be used in the battles at the front."

"Hey! With this raging fire and the addition of oil, won't those rebels be burned to ashes? Haha!"

Amidst the laughter, the others echoed in agreement, but Wang Yong couldn't help but ask:

"I have some doubts. Since oil has already been prepared, why not use it from the beginning? In that case, the rebels would not have been able to break through the sheep and horse wall."

Jin Pingyong glanced at him sideways and laughed, "The Earth Official doesn't understand, does he?"

"When the rebels are outside the sheep and horse wall, they use kerosene. Won't they run away as soon as they get burned? Even if they can burn some of them to death, it won't be of any use. Once they regroup and come back, this trick of ours will be useless."

"After all, there aren't that many, so naturally they should be used in the most appropriate places."

Wang Yong looked ashamed and lowered his head, saying, "I do know very little about military strategy."

Jin Pingyong waved his hand and said with a nonchalant smile, "It's alright."

"Sheep and Horse City is spacious enough, so the most suitable place to set fire is inside the barbican, which is like a cage. Anyone who enters will have to endure the scorching flames. Of course, the right time is also extremely important."

"The enemy forces are already under our fierce attack within Yangma City, and if they choose to force their way into the barbican, they will be overwhelmed."

"Of course, if we set fire to the city after only a few rebels have entered, it would be a waste of oil. Therefore, we must wait until they have entered enough before wiping them out in one fell swoop!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yong broke out in a cold sweat, as the mere thought of that scene was enough to send chills down one's spine.

“I see. This way, we can indeed eliminate a lot of rebels,” Wang Yong said.

Jin Pingyong nodded and smiled, "That's right. I think many of you might think that this battle with the rebels was just to repel them, but that's not the case."

"The imperial court has been creating opportunities for a counterattack."

“Nanze has a considerable number of troops. Even if all the city towers are full of people, that is not all of our forces. Most of our troops are waiting in the inner city.”

"As soon as we win the battle at the front, we will launch a counterattack outside the city." At this point, Jin Pingyong's expression gradually hardened. He clenched his fist and shouted:

"This is a life-or-death battle; victory or defeat hinges on this!"

"Since the traitor has personally led his troops here, we must seize this opportunity. If we do, everything else will fall into place, and we won't have to stay in Nanze any longer!"

These words inspired everyone in the hall, and Wang Yong himself couldn't help but feel a surge of confidence.

Then, the group discussed the front lines, but the previous gloomy atmosphere had been swept away. A moment later, a man rushed over; it was Xiong Yong.

Upon entering the hall, Xiong Yong looked up but couldn't see Jin Fengluan. Before he could speak, Jin Pingyong, who was standing beside him, laughed and said:

"His Majesty has gone to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. How is it, Xia Guan? Shouldn't there be good news from the front lines by now?"

Xiong Yong shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Not only that, but bad news has also arrived."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Pingyong's face froze, and Prince Qing also raised his head, his brows furrowed into a knot.

"Huh? How could this be? Where did things go wrong?" Jin Pingyong shook his head, his face full of disbelief.

Xiong Yong's face was grim. He continued, "We've been fighting methodically without any major mistakes, but the enemy is too fierce, and our offensive hasn't been very effective."

"The current situation is that enemy troops are already swarming the walls of Yangma City, and the enemy forces inside the city are becoming increasingly difficult to control, and..."

Xiong Yong paused slightly, and all eyes in the hall focused on him. The atmosphere became tense again without him realizing it. Wang Yong wiped the sweat from his temples, his heart pounding wildly.

Xiong Yong sighed before continuing:

"The defenders on the outer barbican have suffered heavy casualties, and their defensive equipment and fortifications will soon be gone."

Everyone's breath caught in their throats for a moment, and their faces instantly fell.

"Furthermore, a few moments ago, the outer barbican gate was forcibly breached by the enemy, and they have already entered the barbican."

After saying this, Xiong Yong swallowed and added, "You should know that less than an hour and a half passed between the breach of Yangma City Gate and the breach of the Wengcheng Gate."

"The defenders on the outer barbican were doing everything they could to stop them and launch an attack on them as much as possible. They were holding nothing back and even borrowed fifteen cannons from the defenders behind them."

"The enemy forces forced their way in."

After saying this last sentence, Xiong Yong cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd, "This humble official is going to the Hall of Mental Cultivation."

After saying that, he turned and left.

The hall was silent, and everyone's face showed astonishment mixed with panic.

Jin Pingyong, his face flushed, shouted loudly at Xiong Yong, who was walking out:

"Wait! Officer Xia!"

"The enemy must have suffered heavy losses to force their way into the fortified city."

Xiong Yong had just reached the threshold when he heard this and turned around, saying, "A lot of people have died."

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