Chapter 286 Rare Tenderness

No matter how busy the government office was, Bai Li was not there. She was busy with her own things.

She had given up those chores a long time ago.

Now Wu Lanzhi is in charge of handling all the affairs. She has tied up the former prefectural clerks to help her. Bai Li has long since withdrawn from these mundane affairs.

Bai Li is now busy collecting intelligence and building city defense.

Simon is a big country after all. Once they counterattack, there will definitely be a lot of people. She has only more than 30,000 people in total, so she has to be on guard.

Our soldiers’ combat capability is not weak, but they cannot withstand the enemy’s large number of soldiers. As the saying goes, an ant can kill an elephant. No matter how strong a person is, he will be afraid of being outnumbered, right?

"It's so late, why aren't you sleeping yet?"

Nangong Min walked behind her at some point, and Bai Li turned around and smiled when she heard that.

"You didn't sleep either?"

"Let me tell you, how are the yamen runners arranged in the government office?"

"If you can use them, use them. If you can't, dismiss them. Use the soldiers first. When our people arrive, use our people."

The people in the government office were different from the common people. After all, they received salaries from Simon and had received benefits from Simon.

They appear respectful to the Great Zhou, but they might be plotting something bad behind the scenes.

"That's what I meant, and it coincides with yours."

Nangong Min came over just to make conversation. Since their engagement, apart from riding horses with her on the road, he hasn't had a chance to be alone with her.

Well, it would be nice to take advantage of this opportunity when no one is around to have a few private words.

"There are still many tough battles to fight in the future, so it is important to take care of your health."

“Got it, you too.

You are my support now, so don't fall first!"

In response to Nangong Min's gentle voice, Bai Li was also unusually gentle and considerate.

She herself hadn't realized that she, who was like a little devil in the eyes of her parents, actually had such a gentle side.

Nangong Min pursed his lips and smiled. Perhaps it was because the candlelight was too dim and his smile was too bright, he caught Bai Li off guard and shook her.

This guy usually has a stern face and I didn’t notice that he looks so good when he smiles?

While Bai Li was stunned, Nangong Min approached gently, put his hands on her shoulders and began to rub them gently.

The force was just right. Bai Li relaxed her body and closed her eyes in comfort, enjoying it.

"How about this? Is it more comfortable now?"

"Um!"

There was a lazy and sweet sound in Bai Li's voice, like a well-behaved kitten.

You know what, this treatment, which I have never enjoyed in my previous life or this life, is actually so comfortable.

After massaging for a while, Bai Li urged Nangong Min to go back to sleep.

She couldn't just enjoy herself and ignore his tiredness, right?

…

Under the leadership of Regent Abuda, the Simon court finally decided to abandon Qinzhou and focus its defense on other cities, especially Qiangzhou County and Chiyang County next to Qinzhou.

These two counties are closest to Qinzhou and are also the only way to get to the capital of Simon State.

However, King Jin, who had just returned to the capital, was extremely dissatisfied with this decision. He could not swallow this humiliation, and was even more unwilling to lose Qinzhou like this.

So, without telling the court, the King of Jin secretly mobilized his own private troops, totaling more than 100,000 people, and marched towards Qinzhou in a mighty manner, attempting to recapture this important city to prove that his decision was correct and at the same time restore the military prestige of the Simon Kingdom.

He had learned from previous experience. Previously, he led an army of 200,000 but failed to capture Yuanzhou, a city of the Great Zhou with only more than 10,000 defenders. That was because he underestimated the enemy and advanced rashly, which led to such heavy losses. He vowed that it would not happen again this time.

He planned not to resort to a violent attack at first, but to use these 100,000 troops to surround Qinzhou completely, and to trap Bai Li and his men to death.

As for the common people of Simon, he never even thought about it.

Those lowly people should have died when the city was broken, but now they have been allowed to live for so many more days. They should be content.

The King of Jin rode a tall black horse, wearing shining silver armor, and walked at the front of the team.

His eyes were firm and his heart was full of determination to take back Qinzhou.

Behind him, the soldiers marched in unison with high morale. Although they knew that this action was not approved by the court, their loyalty to King Jin made them follow him without hesitation.

At this time, Qinzhou City, under the command of Bai Li, had already been on high alert.

These days, Bai Li has made full use of his soldiers and generals.

There were only three Eight-Ox Crossbows brought from the Great Zhou. After arriving in Qinzhou City, he ordered several craftsmen and soldiers to work day and night to make them. Now there are more than thirty of them.

If we didn't have to reserve some black iron to make arrows, we could have built a dozen more.

Only then did Bai Dalang understand why his sister insisted on bringing along a few people who couldn't fight.

It turns out that they are all masters in making bows and crossbows!

With his keen military insight, Bai Li predicted that Simon would not give up Qinzhou easily, especially someone as competitive as the King of Jin.

So, she started her defensive deployment early.

A wide and deep moat was dug around Qinzhou City, and the river water was turbulent, becoming the first line of defense to block the enemy.

Outside the moat is a dense forest. It seems to be a peaceful area, but it actually hides the guerrillas carefully arranged by Bai Li.

These guerrillas are more than 10,000 people led by Ji Huanan. Over the past few days, they have figured out the surrounding terrain and set up many traps. As long as the Simon army approaches, they will have no way to escape.

As a mobile force, they are familiar with the terrain, agile in action, have strong combat capabilities, and fully understand and are familiar with guerrilla warfare plans.

They could lie still in dense forests or on grass for a whole day and a night, and their ambush of the army would never fail.

In addition, their individual combat capabilities are strong, and they can easily fight ten or even a hundred enemies at once.

Ji Huanan divided the team into three groups. The first group set up an ambush on the first section of the road ten miles away from Qinzhou, dug traps, buried wooden spikes, and destroyed the vanguard cavalry first.

The second team is about five miles away from the first team. This distance can be used for both support and to pick up missed opportunities. When Simon's army is in chaos, they will come in handy.

As for the third team, we will know when the time comes.

On the walls of Qinzhou City, there are thirty powerful eight-ox crossbows placed in a row, as well as various crossbow arrows, arranged neatly and shining with cold light.

The soldiers stood firm at their posts, looking into the distance vigilantly, waiting for the arrival of the enemy.

Bai Li, wearing light armor, shuttled back and forth on the city wall, constantly checking the defense facilities and boosting the morale of the soldiers.

"Soldiers, the people of Simon Country want to retake Qinzhou. This is wishful thinking! We have made full preparations and will make sure they never return!"

Bai Li's voice was firm and powerful, echoing on the city wall.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The soldiers shouted in unison, their voices shaking the sky, full of confidence that they would win.

"Report!"

"Speaking."

"Ximon's army of 100,000 is heading straight for Qinzhou, and is still 50 miles away!"