Yao Fa was a descendant of a military family in Xiangzhou, and his bravery was unparalleled.

However, at this moment, chaos reigned both inside and outside the city, and even Yao Fa was powerless to stop it.

Under Ji Heng's leadership, these Zhou halberdiers became even more valiant and unparalleled.

The heavy armor on his body was impenetrable to ordinary swords and blades, and at this moment, Yao Fa's personal guards melted away as quickly as thin snow meeting hot oil.

Yao Fa was covered in blood, but he fought to the death and refused to retreat.

"Go immediately and inform the prefect! Tell him to quickly lead troops to provide reinforcements!"

As Yao Fa finished speaking, the guard beside him said in despair.

"Reporting to the general! The prefect... the prefect has already fled!"

Upon hearing this, Yao Fa's face immediately showed despair.

While the defending general was still fighting to the death, the city's governor fled before even engaging in battle!

In the brief moment Yao Fa was stunned, Ji Heng seized the opportunity and leaped forward, slamming his giant shield heavily into Yao Fa's body.

In an instant, Yao Fa lost his balance, and Ji Heng thrust his halberd straight at him.

With a soft "thud," the halberd pierced through Yao Fa's armor and plunged deep into his abdomen.

Ji Heng grinned menacingly, twirling his halberd before pulling it forcefully.

Yao Fa's body collapsed like a withered tree!

Ji Heng stepped forward, used his halberd to lift Yao Fa's corpse, and roared.

"The garrison commander of Haoliang City is dead! Kneel down and you will not be killed!"

"The general is dead! Haoliang City has fallen!"

"Run! Run!"

With Yao Fa's death in battle, the entire city of Haoliang was powerless to resist.

In the darkness of night, the city gates of Haoliang City were slowly opened.

On horseback, Guo Zifu's face remained unchanged; the moonlight cast a long shadow over him.

"The entire army enters the city; swords will not be sheathed for three days!"

As soon as the words fell, a wicked smile appeared on the faces of the generals behind Guo Zifu.

Throughout history, very few people have been able to enter a city without committing any offenses.

Thieves come like combs, soldiers come like fine brushes, and officials come like shavings.

This proverb is definitely not just a saying.

In ancient times, joining the army was not a high-paying job, except for a few elite units that had fixed and generous military salaries.

The primary source of income for the vast majority of soldiers who participated in the battles was the massacre and plunder of cities.

This is especially true for the Great Zhou Dynasty at present. This time, the entire nation has been mobilized to attack, and logistical support is difficult and extremely costly.

Therefore, looting was an inevitable part of conquering every city in Dali.

For the people of a country, the battlefield is a disaster that cannot be described in words.

Three days after Haoliang City was captured at the end of April, Xiao Qing's army arrived in Xiangzhou.

Xiangzhou is a very rich place, with the Yong River, a branch of the Yangtze River, flowing through it and dividing the entire Xiangzhou from west to east.

Although the Yong River is not large, it is considered a natural barrier in Xiangzhou.

Upon hearing the news of the invasion by the Zhou allied forces, large numbers of people living near the Zhou border fled north.

Under these circumstances, the already precarious situation in Xiangzhou became even more chaotic.

As night fell, Xiao Qing's army set up camp outside a small county less than a hundred miles from Xiangzhou City.

After entering Xiangzhou, the crisis of war became very apparent.

Even Xiao Qing had completely lost his playful spirit at this moment.

Inside the central military camp, the generals from the four prefectures gathered together.

The commander of Qingzhou was named Yuan Shang, and his Qingzhou army numbered 100,000, accounting for half of the four-state coalition forces.

Although the Qingzhou army was large in number, it did not have a good reputation among the four-state allied forces.

The main reason is the poor military discipline, with soldiers acting as they please and many scoundrels in the army.

This is evident from the previous incident where he provoked Di Yong of the Liangzhou army.

Below the Qingzhou Army was the Yuzhou Army, commanded by General Jiang Ping, who led 50,000 troops.

Next was the 35,000 men led by Han De, the veteran general of Huaizhou.

Finally, the smallest force was the 15,000 Liangzhou soldiers led by Mu Zi'an.

Although the Liangzhou army had the fewest troops, Mu Zian's status was second only to Prince Xiao Qing of Jin.

Just as everyone was discussing their next steps, a scout came to report from outside the camp gate.

"Your Highness Prince Jin, the Governor of Xiangzhou has come to request an audience."

Upon hearing this, everyone in the tent exchanged glances, and Xiao Qing spoke.

"Let him in."

A moment later, an elderly man with white hair and a disheveled appearance, dressed in a purple official robe, walked into the tent.

"Your humble servant, Shen Xu, Governor of Xiangzhou, pays his respects to His Highness Prince Jin."

It was clearly a long and arduous journey for this elderly man with gray hair.

As a result, he looked quite exhausted.

Seeing this, Xiao Qing spoke up.

"You must be tired from your journey, Lord Shen."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xu quickly replied.

"How dare I utter the words 'hardship'?"

"I have come here today to apologize to the Prince of Jin."

"Your humble servant is incompetent. Not long ago, news came that Haoliang City had fallen, and now half of Xiangzhou has fallen into enemy hands."

"Two days ago, the vanguard of the Zhou state arrived outside Xiangcheng and is now building pontoon bridges and boats to cross the river."

"If we wait until they have built the pontoon bridge and ferries and transported the army across the Yong River, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Therefore, I have come here today to request tens of thousands of reinforcements from the Prince of Jin to stop the enemy from crossing the river."

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere inside the tent froze slightly.

Yuan Shang, Jiang Ping, and Han De exchanged glances.

This first battle is crucial to the morale of the entire army and should not be underestimated.

At present, the allied forces of the four states have come from afar and are exhausted from their journey, while the enemy forces of Zhou are well-rested, their strength is high, and their morale is soaring.

Moreover, the troops that the Zhou state sent were all elite forces.

As their commander, they knew best the strength of their soldiers.

Moreover, this time they are facing Guo Zifu, the Pillar General of the Great Zhou Dynasty, who is known as the greatest warrior in the world.

So when they heard that Shen Xu had come to ask for help, the three of them lowered their heads in unison.

Xiao Qing looked around, but no one dared to meet his gaze.

What are your thoughts?

Yuan Shang, the commander of the Qingzhou army, spoke up.

"Your Highness Prince Jin, the army has been traveling for days and is already exhausted. If we rashly send troops to the enemy's camp to wait for them to tire themselves out, it may backfire."

"As far as I can see, we are only a hundred miles from Xiangcheng, and we can arrive within two days. Why take such a risk?"

Jiang Shang and Han De echoed these words.

“That’s right! General Yuan is absolutely right.”

"In this battle, the priority should be stability. We must not underestimate the enemy or advance rashly, lest we fall into an ambush."

Clearly, no one wants to take on this hot potato.

Helpless, Xiao Qing's gaze involuntarily fell on Mu Zi'an.

"What is the Duke of Zhenguo's opinion on this matter?"

The moment Xiao Qing finished speaking, a system notification sounded in Mu Zi'an's mind.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have triggered a choice!"

"Option 1: Refuse to send troops to help, and follow the army to Xiangcheng according to the established plan. Reward: A mysterious civil official."

"Option 2: Agree to the request for military assistance and head to Xiangcheng ahead of schedule to engage in battle with the Zhou vanguard. Reward: A mysterious general."

"Please make a decision, host!"