The Xiliang soldiers breathed a sigh of relief.
However, the people on the city wall of Weizhou City were somewhat nervous.
Xie Yi looked at the fireworks in the sky and then at the Xiliang people's camp, his face serious.
From the corner tower, all that can be seen are the scattered sparks of light on the camp side; the original raging fire has been extinguished, and the entire camp is now hidden in darkness.
The scattered sparks showed no sign of increasing, and the entire camp remained quiet.
The people of Xiliang did not make any move, as if they had not heard the commotion on their side.
Xie Yi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and his tense expression finally relaxed considerably.
Although he felt uneasy using the Empty City Stratagem, he was at ease as long as it worked.
At first, when Jiang Yimian said she would use the Empty City Stratagem, he was still a little uneasy.
After all, the Xiliang people had just had their supplies burned, and now that they were provoking them like this, the other side would definitely gather all their troops to attack Weizhou.
There was no movement from there, which surprised him, but he also felt that Jiang Yimian was amazing.
They even predicted the actions of those people from Xiliang so accurately.
All they need to do right now is get through tonight.
Judge Chen had just come up from the city wall when he saw the soldiers around him drumming and shouting with all their might, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, the princess's suggestion worked; otherwise, given that provocation just now, it would have been strange if the Xiliang people hadn't launched a night attack.
Thinking it over, he quickly whispered, "Your Highness, everything you just said is ready, and the candidates are all selected. Shall we begin now?"
Xie Yi hurriedly replied, "Of course we must start now. We must prepare all those things before those Xiliang people realize what's going on, otherwise everything the princess said will be ineffective."
Even if the Southern Guards come to their aid, Weizhou City will likely be doomed.
Judge Chen nodded repeatedly and hurriedly went down the city wall.
Xie Yi stared blankly at the candlelight that lit up every house in the city.
At this moment, although the people in the city did not understand why, they were still attracted by the fireworks outside. Many closed doors were opened, and adults and children watched the fireworks above Weizhou City with rare smiles on their faces.
Seeing this, some children even took out a lot of firecrackers from their homes and set them off in front of their houses.
The crackling sounds mixed with the fireworks made Weizhou City seem lively, like it was Chinese New Year.
Xie Yi then suddenly realized that it was almost New Year's Eve.
In previous years, the city would have been bustling with the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year at this time.
However, this year, the rampage of the Xiliang people and water bandits outside made them lose their will to celebrate the New Year, so much so that there was no festive atmosphere in Weizhou City.
They even lived in constant fear that if Weizhou City fell, they would be left homeless.
The fireworks display that suddenly took place today, though not for the Lunar New Year, was exceptionally captivating.
This caused the previously dormant people to suddenly become excited.
Xie Yi looked at the scene in the city, and a rare smile appeared on his face.
Although it is unknown whether the princess's method can successfully protect Weizhou City, it is the best approach at present. It is hoped that the bandits will also be dealt with smoothly.
*
At this moment, on the vast and tranquil sea, several large ships were slowly sailing towards the island not far away.
Zhao Zuoling stared at the island shrouded in darkness, his eyes wide with surprise. "I never imagined that the bandits actually lived on this island."
We've passed by this island several times before, and even searched it, but we've always come up empty-handed. I have no idea how those pirates managed to do it.
If they had known earlier that the pirates were hiding on this island, they would have turned the island upside down and wouldn't have let those pirates live to this day.
Lu Cijian stared at the dark island without saying a word, only frowning slightly.
This island is too quiet; something's not right.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Zhao Zuoling just smiled and said, "Lord Lu, don't worry. Those river bandits are just a bunch of rabble. Ordinary people are no match for us city guards."
Now, they don't have much of a numerical advantage; they're about the same size as the city's garrison we brought. This time, we're sure to annihilate them in one fell swoop.
Lord Lu, just watch from the sidelines; we'll protect you.
After saying that, he looked at the men behind him who had been eagerly preparing for a long time and called out, "Brothers, let's get off the boat and get to work."
Upon hearing this, the city guards quickly grabbed their weapons, their faces beaming with excitement.
They had been waiting for this day for a long time, and had long wanted to wipe out this group of wicked river bandits.
Now, I finally have this opportunity.
Lu Cijian, however, just stared at the pitch-black island and said, "Let's light the torches and go straight up."
Everyone was stunned by these words.
Zhao Zuoling was stunned for a while before hurriedly saying, "Lord Lu, if we light torches, won't the bandits inside know we're here to suppress them? Then how can we launch a surprise attack?"
At that time, they will be in the open, while the river bandits will be in the shadows, and they will be the ones who get ambushed.
Isn't this just making them targets?
Thinking about it, he couldn't help but regret agreeing to the prince's suggestion and letting this official from the Censorate come.
It's a good thing right now; the war hasn't even started yet, and this guy has already come up with some crooked ideas.
He had been curious about how this man had commanded the battle against the Xiliang people last night, but now it seemed like it was just a lucky guess.
The others felt the same way and were all a little apprehensive.
Lu Cijian didn't care what they thought, and only said, "Those river bandits have already discovered our tracks, there's no need to hide any longer, it would only hinder our journey."
After saying that, he got off the boat and walked into the woods following the faint markings on the ground.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Zuoling quickly called for everyone to follow.
Although I didn't quite agree with Lu Cijian's words, I still did as he said.
The further he walked, the heavier his heart became.
The forest was too quiet; the entire island seemed deserted.
Even if those bandits trusted their hideout completely, they wouldn't be so brazen as to let them in.
This proves that something must have happened inside, and Lord Lin and Liu'er must have been discovered.
Realizing this, Zhao Zuoling's eyes were filled with anger. "Lord Lu, those river bandits have probably already guessed our plan for tonight."
If a fight breaks out later, please stay within our protective perimeter and refrain from any rash actions, otherwise, something bad might happen.
Since those river bandits have already made preparations to deal with them, they certainly won't show any mercy.
Tonight's battle is likely to be quite difficult.
Lu Cijian merely glanced at him lightly before saying, "From now on, follow my instructions. Do not act rashly. These river bandits are not easy to deal with, so do not underestimate them."
Having said that, he said nothing more and walked straight ahead.
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