Chapter 133: Attacking the City

Even Sun Qingchen, who was in the county government office, was shocked and almost fell down the stairs. The chief clerk, legal advisor and others who followed him were also panicked, thinking that it was an earthquake.

Sun Qingchen looked at the huge black smoke rising from the city gate, his face darkening. "It's not an earthquake, it's an enemy attack! Quick, tell County Lieutenant Xiao to bring all the soldiers in the city with me! Master, go notify all the people in the city to prepare to meet the enemy!"

Sun Qingchen led everyone to the city gate in a hurry, but the scene before them scared everyone.

The city gate made of iron birch wood, about two meters thick and weighing a thousand pounds, was actually blown away!

The city gate was empty, as if there was no one there, but you could actually see the sea of ​​heads outside the city wall.

Yan Zhubu was so frightened that he fell to the ground, his face pale and sweat streaming down his forehead: "It's witchcraft! Someone used witchcraft to split our city gate!"

Sun Qingchen felt bad. Thinking of the five thousand refugees outside, eager to catch him, he was so anxious that his face turned pale. "All soldiers, listen up! Quick, keep these refugees out!"

Without the city gate, it would be easy for the refugees to take Lan County.

There were only two hundred generals and soldiers defending the city, half of whom were farmers temporarily transferred from the city. How could they be a match for the five thousand refugees!

If the refugees were to break into the city like this, all the old, young, women and children in the city would be doomed!

In the flying dust, not only the people in the city were stunned, but the people outside the city were also confused.

What just happened?

Is it an earthquake?

Or is there a fire somewhere?

The refugees all looked at each other, clenched their weapons tightly, and did not dare to get close to the city gate.

"Everyone, get out of the way! My young master is coming!"

A charming and domineering female voice sounded, and amidst a cloud of dust, Jiang Yongkang led the way, Xu Qingying was in the middle, followed by Feng'er, Xu Yinxi, Xu Huiming, Qian Zhenniang and others, and finally Dazhuang.

They walked out of the thick smoke and black fog, looking calm but quite aggressive. Wherever they went, the refugees scattered and looked at them in horror.

Seeing this, Old Liao quickly wiped the black smoke from his face and asked, "Xu Zhenying! Did you blow open this city gate?"

Xu Qingying tilted her head and looked at Liao Chun with a sly look on her face. "Well, grandson, remember to serve me tea and recognize my ancestors!"

Old Liao immediately raised his long sword and said, "Since we have blown open the city gate, why not take over Lan County? In consideration of your contribution in breaking the city, I will give you half of the city. Brothers, charge—"

"Let's see who dares to move!"

Xu Qingying shouted coldly, looking around with her fierce eyes.

The smoke dissipated, and golden sunlight spread across the earth and fell on the man's face.

It was a very young face, but there was no trace of childishness on it. Instead, it revealed a frightening calmness, composure, and murderous intent.

"Liu Dazhuang, whoever dares to take a step forward will be killed!"

The more than one thousand refugees under Xu Qingying naturally listened to Xu Qingying, but the more than three thousand people under Lao Liao were ready to make a move.

The city gate is right before our eyes. As long as we break in, we will have endless food.

Xu Qingying looked at Lao Liao and frowned, "Lao Liao, have you forgotten the rules we set in the beginning? You eat my food for a day, so you must follow my rules for a day! Why, just because you've had enough food, you're going to turn your back on me?"

Old Liao was angry and silent.

Liao Chun refused to listen. "Brother, let's charge in now. Lan County will be ours! Don't listen to that damn girl. She has fewer men than us. The worst that can happen is we can just kill them all!"

"Everyone!" Xu Qingying's voice resounded through the city gates, echoing faintly in the valley, allowing everyone to hear clearly. "I have a plan that will ensure that no one is hurt or killed, and everyone enters the city safely. Not only that, as long as you listen to me and follow my rules, after you enter the city, I will also create a Yellow Scale Book for everyone, giving you identities, household registrations, and land. From now on, you will no longer be refugees, but good citizens!"

Feng Er immediately said, "My young master is a man of his word. He promised to provide everyone with food within two days, and he delivered it the next day! If you listen to Old Liao and rush into the city now, there will be casualties, injuries, and even crippling. You've come such a long way, endured so much, and gone through countless hardships to get here. Are you going to die at the gate?!"

The refugees looked at each other, seemingly undecided.

Suddenly, Aunt Feng from Old Liao's group shouted, "I believe in Master Xu! He said he would give us food, and he gave us food. He's trustworthy and capable. It's better to follow him than to follow Brother Liao!"

"Me too! Let's be patient for a while, maybe better days will come. The city gate is open anyway, at worst we can just storm in!"

"That was Master Xu casting his magic just now! Oh my god, he was able to blow open such a thick city gate. This... this must be a god..."

As the man spoke, he knelt down and worshiped.

Seeing this, the others also knelt down in confusion and kowtowed to Xu Qingying.

The Xu family members who witnessed the entire process of Xu Qingying making black gunpowder could no longer connect Xu Qingying with the word "goddess". However, looking at the refugees kneeling at their feet, the Xu family members felt inexplicably refreshed.

Xu Huiming knew that Xu Qingying didn't like being associated with these feudal superstitions, so he tugged at her sleeve and said, "To temporarily appease these people and prevent them from rushing into the city and ruining our plans, I'll have to let you be a deity for a while."

Feng Er also said: "This plan is feasible. Instead of wasting time and energy talking to them, it is better to make them respect you and obey your orders first."

Xu Qingying had no choice but to accept the immortal's identity. "Since everyone trusts me, give me some time to negotiate with County Magistrate Sun. Come on, tie up Lao Liao and the others first. Oh, and gag them too, so they won't spread rumors and mislead the public."

Someone immediately went to do it.

This time, Xu Qingying can finally focus on doing big things without distraction.

She looked at the Lan County army standing on guard and couldn't help but shout, "County Magistrate Sun, let's talk."

Sun Qingchen looked at Xu Qingying in disbelief, then at the blown-up city wall. "Did you do this?"

"This is the black gunpowder I made. Only a fist-sized amount is needed to blow through your city walls. If a larger amount is added, it can directly send more than 10,000 people in your Lan County to hell. Now I have placed this substance in your three remaining city gates. Just wait for my order, and someone will detonate it."

Sun Qingchen couldn't help but be furious: "You bastard, you and I had a pleasant conversation the other day. I treated you well. Why did you blow up my city gate?!"

"Of course we have to attack the city!"

Xu Zhenying wanted to train his men, so he turned to Xu Huiming and Feng'er and said, "Who of you has the guts to go up and negotiate?"

This is a rare opportunity.

Even the people behind Xu Zhenying were shocked.

Xu Zhenying rarely delegates power and likes to do everything himself, but now he lets people around him take the lead?

Those who are smart and attentive have begun to speculate on Xu Zhenying's intentions at this moment.

Xu Huiming was hesitating when she heard the clear voice of the woman beside her, "Girl, I dare!"

Xu Huiming also said, "I'm willing to go too."

"Okay, then you go." Xu Zhenying whispered to the two men before patting their shoulders and encouraging them. "Don't be afraid. I'm behind you. If anything goes wrong, I'll cover for you. You've been with me for so long, and you've seen me negotiate. I've also taught you negotiation skills. Just go ahead and feel free."

Feng Er smiled and said, "Sir, I'm not afraid!"

Xu Huiming and Feng'er walked out of the queue and slowly walked forward.

Xu Qingying and others waited at a farther place to prevent the archers' sneak attacks.

Seeing Feng'er's unwavering pace and expression, Xu Huiming couldn't help but admire her. "Miss Feng'er is bold and prudent. She dares to charge into battle, and also dares to negotiate alone. She is truly a heroine."

Feng'er forced a smile, but she didn't hide anything from Xu Huiming, "No, I'm so scared that my legs are shaking."

Xu Huiming smiled, and when he glanced over, he saw Feng'er trembling slightly. He couldn't help but sneer, "I saw you accepted the task without changing your expression, and I thought you had your own ideas, Feng'er."

Feng'er glanced at him and said, "Alas, I am your servant. When you need someone, no matter if I can do it or not, I must show my attitude first. Young Master, you don't know that there are so many capable people around you. People like me who come from a low family background, have little education, and are not very smart, must firmly grasp the opportunities you give me. Forget about negotiating alone. Even if you ask me to sacrifice my life, I, Feng'er, won't blink an eye!"

Xu Huiming was slightly stunned when he heard this, and lowered his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking.

Soon, the two of them were about dozens of meters away from Sun Qingchen. Xu Huiming stopped and said, "Feng'er, we're here. This position is a blind spot, and the archers can't shoot us."

Feng'er nodded, took a deep breath, and relieved her tension.

She thought about what Xu Zhenying had just said and reviewed the negotiation skills, and then she calmed down a little.

"Lord Sun!" Xu Huiming saluted from a distance. "I am Xu Huiming, the elder brother of Xu Zhenying. Today I have come to negotiate with Lord Sun on behalf of my younger brother."

Sun Qingchen gnashed his teeth in anger. "Don't tell me that, you thief! Do you want to attack the city? I tell you, as long as I, Sun Qingchen, am alive, you can't even think of breaking in!"

Xu Huiming smiled slightly. He had fair skin and his eyes and eyebrows were somewhat similar to Xu Zhenying, but he was more relaxed than Xu Zhenying, less fierce and more gentle.

"Master Sun, why are you doing this? You've never seen black powder before, right? Now you've seen its power. To be honest, we have plenty of it, enough to blow up the entire Lan County. By then, you won't be able to defend the city, let alone these thousands of civilians!"

Sun Qingchen was furious, but he did not lose his mind. After thinking about it carefully, he realized that what Xu Zhenying said two days ago about entering the city to buy food was fake, and taking the opportunity to buy the raw materials of black gunpowder was real!

It’s a shame that he was too soft-hearted at the moment, which led to Lan County falling into this state!

He immediately summoned the soldier guarding the city, grabbed him by the collar, and asked, "I asked you to check what they bought when they left the city. Tell me quickly, is there anything unusual?"

The soldier was trembling with fear. "Sir, there's really nothing unusual. I even opened the bottoms of their backpacks and found only some food and daily necessities!"

This time, Sun Qingchen knew that he had really fallen into Xu Zhenying's hands. The seemingly gentle and polite young man was actually a hungry wolf in sheep's clothing!

Yan Zhubu looked at the thousands of refugees outside, ready to move, and couldn't help but feel panic in his heart, but he did not lose his mind. He quickly said to Sun Qingchen, "Sir, Xu Zhenying didn't allow the refugees to rush in earlier. She clearly blew open the city gate but didn't go in. There must be something fishy going on!"

Feng'er snorted coldly, "What a lie! My young master said that God is merciful. It's not easy for refugees, and it's not easy for you either. We're all just trying to find a place to stay. We're all miserable people. It's all because of this bad world. There's no need for us to fight and kill. Who of us isn't the treasure of our parents? Who isn't someone's wife or husband? Who hasn't had a hard time coming to this world?"

"Stop talking nonsense and fight if you want to. The six thousand soldiers and civilians of Lan County are willing to live and die with Lan County!" The county lieutenant shouted, raising his knife.

Feng Er stamped her feet in anger, "What a foolish opinion!"

Xu Huiming comforted Feng'er and then bowed to the people in the city, saying, "Lord Sun, please listen to me. As Miss Feng'er said, the world is in trouble now, with bandits roaming everywhere. We are so many people without food or clothing, and we just want to find a place to stay. We are not here to kill or rob. So we have come here to offer Lord Sun two options."

Sun Qingchen snorted coldly, calming down the restless county lieutenant. "Tell me what you've got."

"First, we'll all fight. Regardless of casualties, we'll fight on our own strength. There will be a thousand miles of blood and countless corpses. Second, County Magistrate Sun and his men will step back and allow us to enter the city."

"Bah, you traitor, you are spreading lies to confuse the people! The food in Lan County can't feed so many people. Even if you enter the city, there will still be no food. You want the people of Lan County to starve to death with you? No way!"

"No. My brother said that after we enter the city, we will not take a single needle or thread from the people, and he will find a way to provide all the food."

"That's funny. There's no food on the ground. How are you going to make food appear? Are you going to make it rain from the sky?"

"In short, after we enter the city, we will take care of our own food, not steal, not rob, not kill, and not set fires. Everything will be done in accordance with the rules, and we will absolutely not harm any of the people in Lan County."

After Xu Huiming finished speaking, his expression softened, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes. "If not, the black powder in the city will soon explode. By then, the people of Lan County will live and die with the County Magistrate. We don't mind taking over an empty city. Lord Sun, please consider this carefully."

Threat, naked threat!

"My Lord... Lan County is finished..." Yan Zhubu trembled, remembering the power of the city gate explosion just now. "If it is true as this villain said, there is still black gunpowder hidden in the city, then we will not be able to stop him from taking Lan County..."

Sun Qingchen had never felt so angry and powerless. He raised his head to the heavens and howled, his voice mournful: "May Heaven destroy me, Sun Qingchen..."

County Lieutenant Yang drew his sword and said in a resounding voice, "Sir, why don't we fight him? His men are just a bunch of refugees, no match for our elite troops..."

Yan Zhubu wiped his tears and said, "County Lieutenant, even if we have elite soldiers and generals on our side, and they are just unarmed refugees over there, we only have two or three hundred people who can fight. That's like chopping off the heads of five thousand people. Even the blade of the knife will be bent, let alone the people... Moreover, the power of black gunpowder, haven't you seen it? I don't think Xu Zhenying is a ruthless person. If he can really control his men, letting him into the city may not be a bad thing for us..."

County Lieutenant Yang cursed fiercely, "That scoundrel Xu Zhenying is truly despicable! How dare he threaten the lives of the people of Lan County! What on earth is that black gunpowder? How can it be so powerful? I have never seen such a weapon in my life. If we also had this gunpowder, why would we be trapped like this..."

Sun Qingchen looked up to the sky, thinking that he had studied diligently for twenty years, and after being sent to Lan County, he had been dedicated to serving the people and had been an honest official. How could he end up like this?

Today, the Great Zhou Dynasty faces powerful enemies outside, wars within, treacherous ministers in power, and bandits everywhere. Seeing that this behemoth is already crumbling, Lan County has been handed over today, but what about the future...

Will there ever be peace in the Great Zhou Dynasty?

Xu Huiming's voice echoed within the city walls, "Lord Sun, please make a decision quickly. The refugees outside are watching closely. If we wait too long, this peaceful negotiation will inevitably degenerate into a fierce fight. I believe Lord Sun would not want to see Lan County become a river of bloodshed for his own selfish reasons, would he?"

Yan Zhubu also advised, "Sir, please make a decision quickly! Xu Zhenying said that he would not kill any civilians in the city. Even if we are relieved of this mission, we are still civilians. I think he won't kill us, right?"

Yang County Lieutenant kicked Yan Zhubu in the chest and shouted angrily: "Yan Zhubu, you are an official appointed by the court. How can you be so cowardly at this critical moment?"

Yang Zhubu fell to the ground, clutching his chest and shouting, "The county lieutenant is quite capable, but why didn't he charge out? We're all on the same rotten boat, so don't pretend to be heroes. It's lucky to be alive!"

"Enough!" Sun Qingchen shouted, tears flashing in his eyes. He looked around and knew that it was not only Yan Zhubu who was afraid of death. The other soldiers guarding the city looked obviously relaxed when they heard Xu Huiming's promise not to kill anyone.

With these words, the morale of the troops defending Lan County was completely broken!

How stupid, how stupid! How could we place our hopes on someone as ambitious as Xu Zhenying?

How can you trust the words of a commoner?

But what can I do if I don’t believe it?

The other side has weapons like black gunpowder, and they are just mortals. Who is willing to use their flesh and blood to stop them?

Lan County... the situation is hopeless...

He, Sun Qingchen... the situation is hopeless...

"Open the city and surrender!" Sun Qingchen's voice was long and weak, like the wail of an old horse. "Everyone lay down your weapons! Let them enter the city!"

Done!

Xu Huiming and Feng'er's faces lit up with joy, and they looked at each other, both feeling unbelievable.

Feng'er was so excited that her face turned red.

This was the first time she worked alone for Xu Zhenying!

They took Lan County without bloodshed, without hurting a single person, and saved so many lives. Feng'er felt a surge of pride in her heart that made her unable to control herself.

Standing at the top, holding the power of life and death over others, and deciding the life and death of thousands of people with just a few words, is this... what the girl said... the taste of power?